James Van Der Beek's widow 'missing him tremendously' in heartbreaking tribute on his 49th birthday

By CASSIE CARPENTER, US SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER 19:18 08 Mar 2026, updated 19:26 08 Mar 2026

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James Van Der Beek's widow Kimberly Brook posted over 60 Instastories on Sunday in honor of what would've been his 49th birthday, and she's missing him 'tremendously.'

The Dawson's Creek alum tragically passed away, at age 48, on February 11 after a two-year battle with stage III colorectal cancer.

Van Der Beek is survived by his six children - Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Emilia, nine, Gwendolyn, seven, and Jeremiah, four - many of whom appeared in her heartbreaking tribute.

The grieving 43-year-old - who has 482,000 Instagram followers - wrote: 'The way you were at births, held our newborns, revered me... I will cherish forever.'

Brook posted 2025 videos of Van Der Beek using his bulging biceps to clear brush and install wood paneling on the walls of their 36-acre Texas ranch located 45 minutes outside of Austin.

In one cute clip, the Sidelined 2: Intercepted actor starred in a social media video with his daughter Annabel where they nodded their sunglasses off the top of their heads down to the bridge of their noses in unison.

The 'medical intuitive' shared two sweet videos of Van Der Beek dancing with their children in their home or 'whatever random place' they stopped by on road trips.

'You are the light of our lives. You love, beauty, presence, tenderness, protection, safety, creativity and singing,' Brook wrote.

'Baby, you were the best humanity had to offer. This is a loss I don't know how to process. I will love you forever.'

A GoFundMe created by family friends has amassed $2,755,015 from a $1.5 million goal through 51,000 donations - which will 'help cover essential living expenses, pay medical bills and support the children's education.'

The married couple of 15 years - who originally met during a 2009 vacation to Israeli city Tel Aviv - renewed their wedding vows days before his death.

'We decided two days beforehand and our friends got us new rings, filled our bedroom with flowers and candles and we renewed our vows from bed,' Brook told People on February 17.

'[The ceremony was] simple and beautiful and moving.'

Van Der Beek's first marriage to former child star Heather McComb ended in 2010 after seven years, and she praised his 'incredible' second wife for her 'grace' under pressure and their deep love on February 12: 'True soulmates.'

Brook will next celebrate their son Joshua's 14th birthday this Friday, followed by her own 44th birthday on March 22 and their daughter Emilia's 10th birthday on March 23.

Audiences can catch the Varsity Blues alum's final screen role as murderous pastor Jacob in John Burr's road trip thriller The Gates, which hits US AMC theaters this Friday.

Van Der Beek also managed to find the strength to shoot a recurring role as Dean Wilson in Legally Blonde's eight-episode prequel spin-off Elle, which premieres July 1 on Amazon Prime Video.

Laura Kittrell's nineties-set high school series - which has already been renewed for season two - also stars Lexi Minetree, June Diane Raphael, Tom Everett Scott, Chandler Kinney and David Burtka.